Rheumatology is a sub-specialty of internal medicine involving the diagnosis and treatment of rheumatic diseases. It incorporates the study of joints, soft tissues and related structures called connective tissues. Many rheumatic disorders are defined as ‘auto-immune’ conditions because the triggers for disease onset and maintenance are related to immune aberrations that identify ‘self’ proteins as foreign. Equally, newer and more sophisticated treatments use specific components of the immune system to mitigate the disease process. (RCPI – November 2013)